The Archives of Truth
by CorrupterofFire
Summary: Contains no Buffy or Angel characters other than Wesley. A girl stumbles into the Great Archives and gets lost in imagining exactly what happened to a female vampire who she reads a book about.
1. Default Chapter

Avana's mahogany brown hair, pulled into a ponytail, bounced as she skipped across the wide enterance of the Watcher's Council building.  
  
Her parents were members of the council, and she understood that she was to stay out of the way until the meeting was over, she didn't understand, however, why at 16 years of age, she was not left on her own at home.  
  
Avana found her way to the library with ease, she had been there many times before, through many meetings and emergencies.  
  
The Library was vastly enormous, the shelves made of oak seemed to go on forever, and it seemed to her, for anyone to read all of the books, they would have to read every moment they were awake. Even Wesley hadn't read them all, and he was.... especially bookish for 17 years old.  
  
Avana made her way to the end-section of the largest bookcase.  
  
She had passed these books many times before, none of them really catching her interest until that moment.  
  
She frowned slightly as she ran her index and middle fingers along the leather spines of two seemingly identical copies of "10 Most Dangerous Vampires of the 1800s."  
  
Both copies were Revised versions, which struck Avana as odd, in her entire life of searching the library during Council meetings, she had never before seen two of the same book; sometimes she would find an original version and a revised version side-by-side, but never two of what appeared to be the same book.  
  
She pulled both books off the shelf, the leather covers and gold lettering were absolutely identical.  
  
She held one in her right hand, and one in her left; she didn't feel any difference in the weight, so she sat down, still determined to figure out how the books were different.  
  
Avana opened them both to the first page; they both appeared to be the same, and the next 24 pages were absolutely identical.  
  
As she turned the 25th page, she found the center of the second book had been cut out to accomadate an ornate, old, brass key.  
  
Avana pulled out the key as if doing so would set off the alarms on the building's self-destruct mechanism.  
  
Nothing happened.  
  
She recalled seeing a metal plate on the wall next to the small table opposite the door, and hurried over to it.  
  
She flipped it open and was dissapointed in what she found, it was the switch for the ceiling fan.  
  
She ran her hand along the walls, but felt nothing but the texture of the feathered wallpaper.  
  
Again dissapointed, she returned to the books.  
  
Suddenly an idea hit her; she rushed over to where she pulled out the books, there was a distinctive keyhole.  
  
Avana's brandy-brown eyes sparkled with anticipation as she slid the key into the hole and turned it with a resounding click.  
  
The last 4 feet of the shelf shifted back, and moved aside, so Avana could now see what the key was for.  
  
Inside the secret room, there were rows upon rows of bookshelves.  
  
She shut her mouth quickly when she realized that she must have stumbled upon the Great Archives. There were many archives stored on the shelves of the library, but the ones that may have contained dangerous information were kept well hidden.  
  
She wandered through the shelves, her mouth falling open again.  
  
She began to read the titles on the spines aloud as she walked slowly.  
  
"David of Austrailia."  
  
She noted that there were 4 volumes, but went on to the next few.  
  
"Darla." She muttered under her breath.  
  
She had heard the name mentioned by her parents.  
  
Avana was under the impression that Darla was dangerous, and not to be meddled with.  
  
She continued on.  
  
"Danielle" She said with resounding finality.  
  
She had always loved the name, and the lettering was so beautiful, that she had to pull it out.  
  
She opened the book carefully.  
  
On the first page, there was a black-and-white photo of a gorgeous girl.  
  
She appeared to be blonde with chocolate brown eyes, and she was giving the camera a sweet, girlishly shy smile.  
  
Avana lingered on the photograph for a few moments, marveling at the girl's beauty, before turning the page.  
  
When she did turn the page, she realized that where she was from wasn't printed on the cover, but the first page, what could be gotten from scanning, it told of where she was turned into a creature of the night.  
  
She settled down on the floor to read the book.  
  
Avana was quickly swept away in the tale of gore, lust and evil. 


	2. Welcome to Unlife

It was a warm summer night, Danielle stepped off her family's wide front porch, and turned around to survey it.  
  
Her mocha brown eyes worked their was across the front of the big white Victorian house, pausing at each window in turn until her eyes came to rest on the railing on the porch.  
  
She abruptly turned, lifted her blue skirt so she wouldn't trip over it, and ran to the front gate where Shannon and Elizabeth were supposed to meet her.  
  
Soon two girls, leading three horses appeared.   
  
Elizabeth, who was leading a palomino and a black mare, was tall and thin, she had red hair that could reach well past her waist if she ever let it down, paired with green eyes and a handful of freckles.  
  
  
  
Elizabeth wore a green skirt with a floral pattern, Danielle didn't deny that she felt envy. Her mother would never let her wear green because of her blonde hair.  
  
Shannon, who was leading her mount, a stocky gray gelding, was built heavier, with shoulder length mousy brown hair and bright sky-blue eyes.  
  
Shannon had dressed in her old gray skirt, it had obviously been worn and patched, Danielle never complimented Shannon on her looks. She didn't see any reason.  
  
Elizabeth tossed Danielle the reins of the black mare without so much as a word.  
  
Danielle quickly mounted.  
  
Pulling a wisp of blonde hair out of her face, she nodded to Elizabeth and Shannon, who were also mounted.   
  
They started off at a trot towards town, where they worked evenings at the saloon, busing tables or doing explicit favors for a few choice customers.  
  
They arrived at the saloon alongside a dark stranger whom Danielle had never seen before, he had brown hair, and mysterious brown eyes; Danielle silently told herself that if he were to ask for any favors, she would be the girl for him to ask.  
  
He stayed at the saloon for three hours, watching the crowd carefully, when his eyes fell on Danielle, she felt an excited tingle.  
  
She made her way to his table.  
  
"Can I get you anything?" She asked smoothly.  
  
He watched her for a moment with an unwavering gaze. "I don't drink."  
  
"Then why are you here?" Danielle gave him a teasing smile.  
  
"Well, I thought I'd find myself someone like you, pretty and flexible." The Stranger got up.  
  
"There are rooms upsairs, you come with me."  
  
She wove her way through the tables to the bar.   
  
"Hey, Sandy!" She called to the gruff looking bartender.  
  
"I'm going to need room 7 for awhile."  
  
The man tossed her a set of tarnished keys, which she caught deftly.  
  
She led the stranger up the winding staircase, towards a narrow, wood paneled hallway lined with white doors that had brass doorknobs that matched the keys Danielle held in her hand, and stopped at the one with a big 7 painted on it.  
  
She stuck the key in the lock and turned it, the door swung open without a sound.  
  
Danielle pulled the Stranger in and locked the door behind him.  
  
The Stranger grabbed her and pushed her against the nearest wall, ripping the front of her dress open.  
  
Danielle suddenly felt a sharp prick on her jugular vein, and tried to scream, but found that she couldn't make a sound as she felt him drinking her blood.  
  
She was almost unconscious when she saw him cut his shoulder with a knife, and pull her head to the blood.  
  
Danielle didn't object, she didn't feel the urge to pull away, and she was much too weak to even think about doing so.  
  
All she saw next was darkness, for what seemed like forever.  
  
She finally woke in a coffin 2 days later.  
  
Danielle's eyes opened, and the instant she saw the coffin lid above her, she panicked. She could smell the treated wood, and something dead.  
  
Terrified, she banged on the lid, trying to alert someone that she had been buried alive. She tried to rip through the wood in a last attempt to get out.  
  
The wood gave away suprisingly easily, and there was no dirt on her grave, it had not been covered, or someone had dug it put.  
  
It was dark. She got out and stood on the remainder of her coffin, the lid holding straight and true under her weight as she looked up at the grass surrounding her hole, trying to figure out how to get up, she spotted a figure standing at one end holding a shovel.  
  
"I suppose you are to blame for this." She stated flatly.  
  
"Sorry I couldn't make it to the service, it was held at noon you see." It was the Dark Stranger that had bitten her.  
  
He held out his hand to help her out of the hole, but she didn't take it.  
  
"You're a creature of the night, a Vampire! And you've made me one!" Danielle looked disgusted for a second and a half, then took the Stranger's hand.  
  
"I'm Devon." The Stranger told her as he hauled her up.  
  
"And I'm Danielle, nice to be bitten by you." She shot back.  
  
"You must be hungry." Devon took her arm.  
  
She looked at her clothes in disgust and picked at the skirt her mother chose to bury her in.  
  
"And in dire need of new clothes." She muttered.  
  
Danielle spotted the black horse she had ridden to work two days ago, and quickly made her way to it.  
  
As she placed her hand on the saddle horn, Devon cleared his throat, and she realized there was only one horse.  
  
"You are opposed to walking?" She smirked.  
  
She mounted gracefully, and he grudgingly climbed on behind her.  
  
Danielle cantered the mare down the dirt road that led to the White Victorian house that her family lived in.  
  
She pulled the horse to a stop in front of the house, there were black banners hung along the railing of the porch, and there were black drapes hung in front of the windows.  
  
Danielle swung her leg over the horses neck, and slid off, not giving any thought to the fact that she had just given up her spot, but thinking only of feeding.  
  
She knocked on the door, and her mother opened it, a tall and thin woman with dark brown hair and the same mocha eyes as Danielle, wearing a black dress and standing for a second in shock, then she swept Danielle up in a hug.  
  
"Come in you must be freezing to death out there!" Her mother exclaimed as she felt Danielle's cheek.  
  
Danielle paused for a moment before following her mother into the house.  
  
"Mother, I have someone I want you to meet." She motioned towards Devon, who was now standing on the first step.  
  
"This is Devon, mother, and we will be spending eternity together."  
  
Her mother looked shocked, yet very happy.  
  
"Come in! Come in! You must be very hungry."  
  
"As a matter of fact, we are." Danielle said, her face morphing, she covered her mother's mouth as she bit into the soft, pale flesh of her neck, and drank deeply.  
  
She made her way into the house. It had been painted mostly white, but the furniture had been covered in black. The rugs were very clean and well kept, a rich dark red.  
  
She led Devon up the winding staircase, and quietly opened her parent's bedroom door, where her father lay asleep.  
  
Danielle looked at the sleeping man for a moment, then quickly grabbed the sides of his head, and snapped his neck with a sickening crunch.  
  
She then walked over to the big dresser, and flung it open, looking for a change of clothes. Pilfering through the large amount of clothes, she finally came across a dark red, revealing dress. She stripped off her gray skirt and white blouse and quickly donned the red dress.   
  
Danielle surveyed herself in the floor length mirror hung on the wall, then turned to Devon.  
  
"Is this something you would like to take off?"  
  
Devon placed a hand on the exposed cleavage.  
  
"Let's see."  
  
Danielle put her finger to his lips, and pointed to the doorway, where her six year old brother and four year old sister now stood.  
  
"You can have the young one." She whispered, very close to his ear.  
  
"Come here." Danielle beckoned with her finger, and the two children ran into her arms, sobbing, telling her that her mother had told them she was gone forever.  
  
Devon grabbed the little girl , his face morphing, he bit her as she screamed.  
  
Danielle watched with fascination as she watched a little bit of her younger sister's blood drip onto one of her dark brown curls as Devon drank, but soon was distracted by her brother struggling in her arms.  
  
She grabbed the boy's blonde hair, pulled his head back and drank of him, draining him, letting no drop of blood go untasted.  
  
Danielle let the body drop to the floor, then she grabbed the front of Devon's shirt, pulling him toward her, she kissed him, the taste of the young girl's blood still lingering in his mouth.  
  
She ripped his shirt open, and pushed him on the floor, riding him harder than she had ever ridden any horse. 


End file.
